A dog held by Merseyside Police for over 18 months has died - before a review of his case could be heard by the high court.

Butch, a staffordshire bull terrier cross who also goes by the name Buster, was seized by police in 2015 after he was found eating the body of his dead owner at home in Waterloo .

Despite the fact an inquest into his owner’s death was unable to determine if the dog played any part, he has been held in police-approved kennels for over 18 months.

Police have now confirmed that Butch has been put down by a vet after being “seriously ill” for a week.

The solicitors acting on behalf of the Senior Staffy Club - a charity who Butch was in the care of and who were taking legal action in order to rehome him say they were informed by the High Court on February 13 that Butch was “seriously ill.”

An independent vet examined Butch during the night of February 13 and found him to be so seriously ill his life could not be saved and was put to sleep. His death will now be the subject of a post mortem examination.

Buster the dog

Kate Lee, a trustee of the Senior Staffy Club said, “The Senior Staffy Club sought to offer Butch a safe and pleasant home for the rest of his life after the trauma he had suffered and we have been prevented from doing that by his seizure by the police and by his death last night. All of us are very upset that Butch needlessly ended his days in police custody”.

A spokesperson for Merseyside Police released a statement to confirm Butch had been humanely put to sleep.

It read: “Merseyside Police can confirm that Buster the dog has been humanely put to sleep.

“In recent days Buster’s health had deteriorated. He was examined last night by two vets, one of whom was instructed by the Senior Staffy Club, the Claimant in the Judicial Review, who agreed that this was an appropriate course of action in all the circumstances.

“The matter was referred to the High Court and Davies J, approved a Consent Order from the parties, which led to Buster being put to sleep.”

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She said: “Alpha rolls are a very outdated technique that exacerbate aggressive responses even in the mildest of dogs.

“The officer clearly misunderstands what he has put Buster through and he totally has misread his body language signals, or just doesn’t understand them. Buster has been set up for failure from the start.”

A hearing to determine the future of the Judicial Review proceedings will be held on April 24 at the High Court in Manchester.